[NEohioPAL] Berko review: CRAVE (Theater Ninjas)

[Roy Berko]

 ‘CRAVE’ a
mind stretching experience at Theatre Ninjas
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member,
American Theatre Critics Association)
 
--THE TIMES
NEWSPAPERS--
 
Lorain
County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times  
 
Sara Kane, the author of
‘CRAVE,’ now being staged by Theater Ninjas, was a very troubled woman.   Even though she was hailed as a
talented playwright by the press, she committed suicide at the age of 28.   Her plays, from a psychological
viewpoint, were cries for personal help from the demons who were at war in her
mind.
 
‘CRAVE,’
which is having its Ohio premiere, was her fourth play.  It was first performed in 1998 in
Scotland.   It features four characters (or
possibly four elements of the human mind), each of whom is only identified by a
single letter.   The script
has no stage directions and no indication of the intent of the writer. 
 
It examines the trauma of rape, infidelity, loneliness, familial
rejection, childlessness, death, sex, loneliness, relationships, suicide and
child molestation. The characters appear to be dismayed by an existence over
which they have no control.
 
In
contrast to a traditional script, ‘CRAVE’ is a series of fragmented sentences,
phrases, poetic stories, monologues and dialogues.  They are not connected to each other to create clear
concepts.  Ideas flow through
phrases such as:  “I am not what I
am; I am what I do.” “It talks about the definitive role of the centre in the
geometry of the circle where there is no chicken and egg dilemma as to who came
first as it was the centre that came first and then the circle was formed.” “I
had to fake orgasms before but now I have to fake not having an orgasm.”
 
The Theater Ninjas production
of ‘CRAVE’ is creatively staged by Jeremy Paul.  He uses the space in the Asterisk Gallery to intensify the
chaotic arrangement of the lines.   The four actors run, jump, roll, crawl, chase each other and move in
programmed chaos around the gallery’s display panels.
 
The members
of the cast, Lucy Bredeson-Smith, Terence Cranendonk, Val Kozlenko and Layla
Schwartz are each compelling.  It
is not only a wonder how they not only learned the massive number of lines but
also the intricate blocking.  
 
Capsule
judgement:  The 50-minute play is a
mental challenge.  There are
constant questions of “what does this all mean?”  Discussing the happenings after the production is as
intriguing as watching the abstract experience itself.  If that’s your “thing” then you’ll
enjoy the production.  But, if
you’re into clear messages in happy encasements, forget seeing ‘CRAVE.’
 
‘CRAVE’
runs through March 8  at Asterisk
Gallery, 2393 Professor Ave in Tremont.   For tickets, which cost $10.00 or $15.00, call
216-539-0662 or go to 
http://www.theaterninjas.com.
 Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2009, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info

His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to subscribe visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)